Both planes were behind schedule. The crew gathered to discuss their flight plans. Despite some minor inconveniences, it was shaping up to be a great day to board the plane. His TWA 2 flight of the Lockheed L Superconstellation took off at 9:01 a.m., three minutes before his flight United 718. Two flights were heading northeast, with United flying due east toward Palm Springs.

The two planes are scheduled to cross the Painted Desert Line, which has a radius of 273 miles, around 10:31 a.m., although they are in different locations. This point is simply the point used by the airline command center to determine the exact position of the plane. Air Traffic Control (ATC) as we know it today did not exist. Once outside the major cities, the pilots communicated information and requests to the airline’s operational command center, which contacted the regional control center, which responded to the command and radioed the information back to the pilot. Like a bad phone game, this patchwork communication system was a nuisance.

The collision occurred around 10:30 a.m., directly over the Grand Canyon. Unaware of the other’s presence, the two aircraft approached each other at his 25 degree angle. United Airlines Flight 718 cut off the tail of the super constellation and the TWA plane plummeted into a canyon. With its left wing damaged, Flight 718 descended in a left spiral and crashed south of Tuar Butte. Perhaps TWA didn’t know what hit her. But investigators theorized that the United pilot may have seen Supercony seconds before the crash. Either way, the results were tragic. 128 people were killed, making it the deadliest civil aviation accident of its time.

Federal agents, military, and rescue workers wound their way down the canyon. There were no survivors and few identifiable bodies. The body parts found were placed in rubber bags and within 48 hours the first bags were flown to Flagstaff. The plane was met by the coroner and the bodies were escorted to Fort Tuthill. The National Guard was called out and set up a makeshift morgue at the venue. There, under the supervision of the FBI, bone fragments and body parts were carefully examined. Flagstaff received a total of 28 bags from the TWA and United Airlines crash sites.

The appeal was made through the Daily Sun and the Chamber of Commerce, asking locals to help protect the victims’ families. This was complicated because the biggest event of the summer, the Southwestern All-Indian Powwow, had just started when the body bags arrived. Hotels, motels, campgrounds and spare rooms were sold out months ago. In response, hotels and residents have further opened their doors, doubling the space to accommodate grieving families. Local businesses have searched and found the resources they need for people to enter.

The town was overrun with officials, families, visitors, and national press. As the powwow festival began, tribal leaders issued condolences for the victims and their families. After the last remains were sorted, a coffin containing the remains of 66 TWA Flt. The passengers and crew of No. 2 were buried in a mass grave at the Civil Cemetery. United’s victims were returned to Grand Canyon National Park and buried there. Through it all, the people of Flagstaff were praised for being compassionate and generous in dealing with the unforeseen aftermath of the disaster.

The fear caused by this clash prompted a revolution in the aviation industry, especially regarding ATC. Airspace is heavily regulated, and radar is just one of the ways he tracks flights. Civilian pilots are no longer allowed to swoop down to give their passengers a great view. Aviation reforms after the Grand Canyon accident make today’s crowded skies safer than they were in his ’50s.